Futuristic flats: HDB unveils eight new technologies for Punggol Northshore homes

Mechanised car parks and smart lighting systems are in the pipeline.

Singaporeans might well find themselves living in smart houses in the near future. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has unveiled a new “Smart HDB Town Framework” that aims to introduce smart technologies in HDB town and estates.

The framework will focus on four key dimensions, namely, smart planning, smart environment, smart estate, and smart living.

Under the smart planning dimension, the HDB will launch mechanised car parks that will automatically increase the number of available lots during non-peak hours for visitors, and reduce the number of available lots for short-term parking visitors in the evening.

It will also introduce a complex systems modelling tool which will help planners understand the trade-offs involved when introducing new sustainable features into HDB towns.

The smart environment dimension involves linking estates with a network of sensors that will capture real-time information on environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, which can then be used to make solutions to create a more pleasant environment for residents, such as smart fans.

Meanwhile, the smart estate dimension will leverage on new technology to collect and analyze data to optimise maintenance cycles and pre-empt problems. Under this dimension, the HDB will launch smart lighting with sensors and a smart pneumatic waste conveyance system.

Lastly, the smart living dimension will provide digital infrastructure in flats to pave the way for intelligent homes. These include a smart elderly alert system, a smart home energy plot, and a home energy management system.

These technologies will be test-bedded in four housing projects in Punggol Northshore, which will be launched in 2015.